Skills required for the management of small enterprises in the retail sector in Soweto

Abstract:

The overall purpose of the present study was to identify the business and management skills required for the management of small enterprises in the retail sector in Soweto. The primary objective of the study was to determine those skills that have contributed to the survival of small enterprises, which have existed for five years or more.
The population for the study were the retailers in Soweto. This population was identified from lists of 100 retailers in Soweto held by the Centre for Small Business Development (CSBD) at the University of Johannesburg and the Soweto Chamber of Commerce. The exact size of the population was, however, unknown because such lists were not comprehensive.
The sample consisted of owners of 25 small enterprise retailers in Soweto. The sample was drawn using convenience sampling. The type of research used for this study was exploratory research with the aim of obtaining qualitative data. A semi-structured interview guide was used to interview owners of these enterprises to ascertain business and management skills necessary for the management of small enterprises in the retail sector in Soweto.